BILL ANALYSIS �
ACR 155
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Date of Hearing: June 17, 2014
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HEALTH
Richard Pan, Chair
ACR 155 (Bocanegra) - As Introduced: May 28, 2014
SUBJECT : Childhood brain development: adverse experiences:
toxic stress.
SUMMARY : Urges the Governor to identify evidence-based
solutions to reduce children's exposure to adverse childhood
experiences (ACEs), address the impacts of those experiences,
and invest in preventive health care, mental health and,
wellness interventions. Specifically, this resolution :
1)Makes legislative findings and declarations related to adverse
experiences and toxic stress, including:
a) Experiences in the first few years of life build changes
into the biology of the human body that influence the
person's physical and mental health over his or her
lifetime;
b) ACEs are traumatic experiences that occur during
childhood, including the following:
i) Physical, emotional or sexual abuse;
ii) Physical and emotional neglect;
iii) Household dysfunction, including substance abuse,
untreated mental illness, or incarceration of a household
member; and,
iv) Domestic violence, or separation or divorce
involving household members.
c) Researchers found that a person with four or more ACEs
was more likely to have adverse health effects;
d) Strong, frequent, or prolonged stress in childhood
caused by ACEs can become toxic stress, impacting the
development of a child's fundamental brain architecture and
stress response systems; and,
e) The emerging science and research on toxic stress and
ACEs evidence a growing public health crisis for the state
with implications for the state's educational, juvenile
justice, criminal justice, and public health systems.
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2)Urges the Governor to reduce childrens' exposure to ACEs,
address the impacts of those experiences, and invest in
preventive health care and mental health and wellness
interventions.
3)Urges the Governor to consider the principles of brain
development, the intimate connection between mental and
physical health, the concepts of toxic stress, ACEs, buffering
relationships, and the roles of early intervention and
investment in children as important strategies.
FISCAL EFFECT : None
COMMENTS :
1)PURPOSE OF THIS BILL . The author states that the concepts of
ACEs and toxic stress are relatively new, and are not yet part
of the lexicon of parents, community members, and
policymakers. While there is still much to be learned, the
findings are irrefutable: toxic stress caused by ACEs can
profoundly alter the otherwise healthy development of a child.
The author further states that ACEs can literally shape the
physical architecture of a child's developing brain and can
weaken the foundation for the learning, health, and behavior
that follows. As a result of ACEs, toxic stress - the
prolonged activation of the stress response - often occurs,
inducing a disruption in a child's brain architecture and
other organ systems. The outcome is a lifetime of health
consequences, from difficulty concentrating in school to heart
disease and diabetes - leading to inflated costs for the
state's juvenile justice, criminal justice, health care, and
public health systems.
2)BACKGROUND . The federal Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention and Kaiser Permanente's Health Appraisal Clinic in
San Diego are conducting an ongoing study called the Adverse
Childhood Experiences Study (ACE Study). The ACE Study is one
of the largest investigations ever conducted to assess
associations between childhood maltreatment and later-life
health and well-being. The study has found the following:
a) A child with four or more ACEs is 32.6 times as likely
to have a learning or emotional problem;
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b) A strong correlation exists between the number of ACEs
and a person's risk for disease and negative health
behaviors; and,
c) A person with four or more ACEs is 2.4 times as likely
to have a stroke, 1.9 times as likely to have cancer, 10.3
times as likely to use injection drugs, and 7.4 times as
likely to be an alcoholic.
3)SUPPORT . According to the Child Abuse Prevention Center,
stressful or traumatic childhood experiences are a common
pathway to social, emotional, and cognitive impairments that
lead to increased risk of unhealthy behaviors, risk of
violence or revictimization, disease, disability and premature
mortality. By investing in detection, prevention, and
treatment California can improve the life changes of millions
of youth and families and build strong, healthy, and safe
communities for generations to come.
The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco
Bay Area state that far too often, the stressors in our
children's lives go unnoticed and unaddressed. The outcome is
a lifetime of health consequences, from difficulty
concentrating in school to heart disease and diabetes -
leading to inflated costs for the state's juvenile justice,
criminal justice, health care, and public health systems.
4)RELATED LEGISLATION . SB 899 (Mitchell) deletes California's
Maximum Family Grant rule, which prohibits CalWORKs payments
from being made on behalf of children who were conceived after
a family begins receiving aid except in cases of rape, incest,
or contraception failure, as specified. SB 899 also makes
legislative findings indicating that the toxic stress of deep
poverty can lead to lifelong cognitive impairments.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
Alliance for Boys and Men of Color
American Academy of Pediatrics, District IX
American Civil Liberties Union of California
California Alliance of Child and Family Services
California Family Resource Association
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Californians for Safety and Justice
California Pan-Ethnic Health Network
California School-Based Health Alliance
Center for Youth Wellness
The Child Abuse Prevention Center
Children NOW
Coleman Advocates for Children & Youth
Crittenton Services for Children and Families
David Lynch Foundation
First 5 Association of California
First 5 Alameda County
Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay
Area
National Compadres Network
PolicyLink
Public Advocates
Public Counsel
Southeast Asia Resource Action Center
Youth Alive!
Zero to Three National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and
Families
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Paula Villescaz / HEALTH / (916)
319-2097